FALL TOTE BAGS
20 hours ago
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
My Style Monday, April 5th, 2010
Once again My Style Monday is a topic that is only too appropriate for where my head is at right now. Just a couple days ago, I was asking y'all what your thoughts were on our turning our patio into a screened porch? We're seriously considering it, after spending time in two former patios/now screened-in porches, over the weekend.
(Ha - then I might really have a screen door, y'all!)
Relaxing screened porch/sunroom inspiration...
...where...
...I could put real, pretty pillows on my big wooden porch swing...
...Pretty Little Bare Feet could have a sandbox...
(& play in her bare feet without me worrywartin')
...& we could all relax almost outdoors
- without worrying about being eaten alive by skeeters!
(source: Workin' that Preppy)
(source: Trulia)
(source: HGTV Rate My Space)
(source: Ladies' Home Journal)
(Okay, now I'm definitely keyed up to start looking at making this a reality!)
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Pretty Little Bare Feet's Palate
It amazes me, that people are so often amazed, when I tell them that I mostly home-prepared Pretty Little Bare Feet's "baby food."
It's not hard to do,
& I am a stay-at-home mama.
I also love to cook.
So why on earth wouldn't I spend a little of my time in the kitchen devoted especially to the preparation of her meals?
Pretty Little Bare Feet is a toddler now, so she's eating differently, which is definitely fun (most of the time, anyway). But it was also really fun back in the days of
introducing one new food at a time,
a few days in between each one;
& getting to see
that first reaction,
to that first taste,
of some fresh new food!
Last summer when Pretty Little Bare Feet got the green light from her pediatrician to begin eating solid foods, I was delighted to take her with me to stroll the local farmer's market. Whatever was delicious&fresh that weekend was what she would get to taste for the first time that week.
In this post I'd like to share with you some of my first few baby steps into cooking homemade baby food (from last summer), as well as some go-to recipes&tools that are helpful when cooking for children of any age!
You've all figured out that I have quite the admiration for Williams-Sonoma. So when my sick pregnant self noticed this gadget in the catalog during my first trimester, I bookmarked it immediately. As Pretty Little Bare Feet's six months appointment approached, I ordered the Babycook. I began putting it to use right away! & I still use it occasionally for
chopping,
pureeing,
or steaming.
Sometimes specifically for Pretty Little Bare Feet, sometimes for something else.
This wonderful little piece of green magic (I swear it's lucky coincidence that it fits into my color scheme in the kitchen!) was the backbone of my homemade baby food success. It is seriously the easiest thing in the world to use. Even if you don't think you are a "cook," you can use this to cook for your baby. If you can work a microwave, you can work the Babycook.
& if you have enough time to watch a sitcom,
you have enough time to check back in with the Babycook during commercial breaks,
& have a week's worth (or more) of baby food prepared at the end of the show.
Beaba Multiportion Freezer Tray in Green at Williams-Sonoma
(You will, of course, have to use your freezer to keep more than a couple days' worth fresh. I did use the Beaba tray, & I do recommend it.)
Cooking for Baby by Lisa Barnes
Because I drink the Williams-Sonoma Kool-Aid, my first baby/toddler cookbook was the one sold at Williams-Sonoma. I have since acquired quite a few more. I still use this one frequently, though, & I have found many of our favorites in it. I also follow the author's blog at Petit Appetit.
A few other great blogs I use for baby-/toddler-/kid-friendly recipes are:
I didn't actually use "recipes" for some of Pretty Little Bare Feet's first homemade baby food purees. If you buy a Beaba Babycook, it comes with a little booklet that tells you how many measures of water you use in the Babycook, based on what fruit or vegetable you are cooking&pureeing. This also determines the amount of time that it will steam.
It doesn't, however, tell you how much of that fruit or vegetable to use. There is a little steamer basket in the Babycook, so you obviously don't want to overfill that. But I often made two, or even three, little baskets' worth of chopped food at once. I just steamed them in shifts. After steaming, you remove the basket before pureeing, & that generally creates enough room in the Babycook to put more than one basket's worth of the steamed food in to be pureed together at once. If you do more than one batch at a time, you will
save the effort,
& time,
of prepping the food again;
& of cleaning the Babycook,
& dishes,
again.
Nor does the Babycook literature give you any real
direction,
guidance,
or information about the foods you prepare in it.
So even with the magic Babycook, you will probably still want to seek out additional resources for making the purees really good, as opposed to just being cooked, & edible for baby. I adapted the following recipes from combining bits&pieces of information&recipes, mostly from the aforementioned sources; as well as from my own trials&errors.
(sorry for the iPhone-quality photo)
potato puree
(yield: makes about 1 1/2 cups)
- 6 small yellow potatoes, peeled
- 1/2 cup water
*Wash, peel, & cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks.
(Wait to peel the potatoes until right before cooking. Don't soak them in water, or they'll lose their vitamin C.)
*If you have a Babycook, follow Babycook directions for adding water to steam potatoes. After steaming, remove steamer basket & add the 1/2 cup water. Follow Babycook directions to puree to a consistency your baby can handle.
*If you do not have a Babycook, heat 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add potatoes & cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup water & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover, & simmer until potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Mash with a food processor, potato masher, or wooden spoon, to a consistency your baby can handle (mash with a fork to make it thicker, or put some or all of it in the food processor for a smoother texture).
(You could also use some of your baby's usual formula or milk, instead of water. Pretty Little Bare Feet preferred this at first.)
*Spoon some of the puree into your baby's bowl & serve lukewarm.
*To store, refrigerate cooled puree in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or fill ice-cube trays or larger containers to freeze for up to 3 months.
(Root vegetables are great first foods for babies because they are naturally sweet, & they are easy to puree to a very smooth texture. Potatoes are a good source of complex carbohydrates, which are a good source of energy. Potatoes are also a good source of potassium; & they contain vitamin C. As long as you leave the peel on, they also contain fiber. They blend well with most vegetables. Baked potatoes are very good for children, & you can top them with baked beans for added fiber.)
(sorry for the iPhone-quality photo)
pear puree
(yield: makes 2 cups)
- 4 ripe pears, quartered&cored just before cooking
(Fujis have the least amount of acid, so that's the best choice for young babies.)
*Let pears ripen on a countertop.
(Pears are sweeter after they've ripened. If they aren't ripe enough when you cook this, your puree may be too tart for your baby.)
*If you have a Babycook, follow Babycook directions for adding water to steam pears. After steaming, let cool & scrape flesh from skins. Remove steamer basket & follow Babycook directions to puree pears until smooth.
*If you do not have a Babycook, bring 1 inch water to a boil in a pot. Put pears in a steamer basket, set in pot, cover tightly, & steam until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 7-10 minutes, depending on ripeness. Check regularly that the fruit has not caught on the bottom of the pot. Let cool & scrape flesh from skins. Blend pears with a handheld electric blender, press through a strainer, or puree in a food processor until smooth.
(Cooking them with the skin on retains more nutrients!)
*Thin if necessary with a little boiled water. As baby gets older, add baby's cereal to thicken this liquidy puree, if desired. Serve lukewarm.
*To store, refrigerate cooled puree in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or fill ice-cube trays or other containers to freeze for up to 3 months. Expect some slight discoloration during storing.
(Pears are great first foods for babies. They are high in fiber, & can help with constipation. But for Pretty Little Bare Feet, they didn't create the same, um, explosive effects that prunes did.)
***Please note that I am not a doctor. I am a blogger, a lawyer, & a stay-at-home mama. I gather&read a lot of information before I prepare food for my own child. I would encourage you to do the same, rather than only going by what I've posted (although I do stand behind the observations I've recorded here). Each child is different, with different needs. Foods are also different in different regions. I use guidelines I've received from our pediatrician, for feeding our child. Please use the advice of your own pediatrician regarding the age at which your child should begin eating which foods, & what serving sizes are appropriate for your child. Thank you for reading my blog! Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have.***
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Sips of the South: Southern Gardens
This is my last post for the Sips of the South series for spring 2010. I really enjoyed doing it (though I apologize I started late & ended late!). I intend to join back up when it starts again in the fall.
A Southern garden...what are the must-haves in every Southern garden?
My Prince & I have been discussing flowers&gardens here lately because it's warmed up enough (& finally stayed that way consistently long enough!) that it's getting comfortable to lounge around outside.
When we moved into this house late last spring, we knew we wanted to do a lot with the lawn. There is a corner of the backyard that the previous owners let get overgrown&wild, & we've discussed landscaping it into a little garden area with a walkway through it.
Recently we even sat down together with a gardening catalog. While My Prince is really the one with the green thumb, I like to at least put in my nine two cents about what I think are the prettiest flowers.
& like most Southern ladies, I do have my personal favorite flowers that are Southern classics.
(source: Magnolia Gardens Nursery)
I was thrilled to find that one outer side wall of our house is flanked with a beautiful row of azalea bushes. These actually don't require just a whole heck of a lot of care (I don't think?), so they miraculously survived&thrived during the residency of our neglectful predecessors here.
If you've never been to Mobile, I recommend visiting during azalea season. They have some of the most beautiful blooming varieties, all over the city, that you will ever see. It is especially beautiful to visit when the charming old downtown area is covered in them. It makes for a beautiful drive or stroll.
(source: Decatur Parks&Recreation)
One thing that will remain when My Prince overhauls that back corner of the yard, is our magnolia tree. It blossoms so beautifully. Just when we'll think it's retreated for the season, we'll see one last set of delicious blooms to enjoy. Our big window in the living room looks out on this tree, & I leave the blinds open most of the time during the day. I really enjoy sitting in my big comfy armchair next to that window, & admiring the magnolias in between chapters of a good novel.
Our neighbor across the road from us has a beautiful, breathtaking dogwood tree in his front yard. If our front lawn were larger, I'd plant a mirror image of it over here.
(Unfortunately, it isn't.)
In the spring, though, I seriously stop&marvel at its beauty every time I go out front.
Personally, I don't think any Southern garden (or home, for that matter) can truly be complete without a swing. We were lucky that we bought a house that already had one. It's on the back patio (which we're seriously considering screening in now...thoughts?). So it's not exactly in a "garden." But my dream home would have at least one swing on the
huge,
columned,
wraparound
porch; & another out in the gardens on the grounds somewhere.
(More of my gardening dreams&inspiration in this My Style Monday post.)
Friday, April 2, 2010
What I Want This Weekend, Easter Edition 2010
Here are some pretty, Easter &/or spring things I've come across this week,
from some blog
or catalog
or friend
or magazine
or another;
or just from my own browsing&shopping&surfing,
that somebunny you or I know might have in his or her basket...
Pretty Little Bare Feet's Easter basket ranneth over, again, this year. My original plan was to put the Easter basket in the back of her new Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, with an Easter bunny driving it. But I couldn't find the pretty, girly Coupe in-store locally; & it's taking longer to ship than I thought it would. =(
So her basket appeared to her from atop her new Playskool Busy Lil Garden Bench, which she is just loving. She already had
the Bee Wheel Pal;
& the Lil' Nesting Birdhouses.
I love all of these toys - she enjoys playing with them, & they are pretty pastel colors (so, ahem, pretty to look at!). I guess we are cultivating a little gardener! Hope she's better at it than her mama!
Some other items of note from her Easter basket haul this year:
a crayon roll with her name monogrammed on it,
made from Easter fabric;
Daddy's Home! board book by Rosanne Parry;
Easter cookies from Harry&David;
Easter rubber duckies with bunny ears & lambie tails;
a Ganz Bunny Love bunny;
a Harry&David teddy bear wearing bunny ears;
a Hello Kitty marshmallow pop;
mini bilingual board book about opposites;
a pair of ladybugs from Done by Digits;
Peeps;
a personalized mouse ears with dots&bow T-shirt from My Personalized TShirt;
a Pinkalicious book set with mini editions of Pinkalicious&Purplicious,
a pack of colored pencils (put away for now),
a Pinkalicious journal,
recipe cards for pinkatastic cupcakes & pinkeriffic lemonade,
& Pinkalicious stickers;
a Precious Moments Fairy Fun mini board book;
a Sesame Street Abby's First Book of Shapes board book;
a Sesame Street Easter egg Elmo Buddy;
Stickeroni scented brown bunny stickers;
& a couple more random plush Easter bunnies (a lime green one & a pink one, ha!).
Oh, & if you're wondering if I did a basket for My Prince again - yes, I did:
Some of what he got:
Alabama Crimson Tide national champion lowball glasses;
Almond Joys (coconut is his favorite);
a Dove milk chocolate Easter bunny;
Godiva chocolate biscuits;
& a little dudely-looking (I thought) plush Easter bunny;
But there are some other adorable things I found during my Easter shopping that I wanted to share with you!
Well, obviously, the funny bunny is more Easter-centric, but I love the spotty cow, too. I pretty much love all things Skip Hop - we have a lot of their products.
I had really intended to get Pretty Little Bare Feet a little floral Quilti bunny by Douglas for her Easter basket. I swear it almost looked Lilly-esque. But I should have bought the darned thing the first time I saw it because - wouldn't you know it - they were gone when I went back to Barnes&Noble. & I couldn't find it online anywhere - I started looking almost a month ago! I can't even find an image to show you what I'm describing!
But we do love Douglas plush animals. Pretty Little Bare Feet has that Melbourne kangaroo & that lime&pink sea horse. The other images I am sharing with you are that same Quilti style of the elusive floral bunny that I never found again...one is the green swirl Quilti bunny (I swear I found a floral one!); & the other is the mini heart Quilti dog.
I love all of the Usborne Touchy-Feely board books. Our favorite is That's Not My Dragon.... But This is My Duck is also noisy & would be very appropriate for an Easter basket!
Pushalong Duck from ImagiPLAY
Y'all know how I love wooden toys! ImagiPLAY has a lot of great ones. That one struck me as great for an Easter basket, but there are so many different ones - you could find an appropriate one for any
baby,
birthday,
or holiday
gift for a child.
Oh, & I love pretty much every single thing from the Williams-Sonoma Easter catalog. My favorites this year are
the mini spring cupcakes;
& the spring cookie wreath.
T.G.I.F.! What do YOU want from your Easter Bunny this weekend?
(Sorry I was so late getting this published. I had the text written, but I forgot I hadn't inserted the images when I left town this weekend. I didn't remember until we got back - but this stuff was too cute not to share anyway!)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Beautifying the Blog with Lydia&Pugs
blog button,
blog header,
& profile photo.
(Please add my button to your page! It's over there on the right-hand sidebar!)
I sent Dawn a few photos of my family,
wearing some of our favorite outfits,
& I left the rest up to her own creative juices.
What do you think?
I love it, & am so happy with the way everything turned out!
I highly recommend Dawn.
I don't know when she sleeps;
but she replies promptly,
& works so quickly.
It's amazing, considering how beautiful&detailed her work is. You definitely won't be disappointed if you contact her to do anything for your blog!
Thank you, Dawn!
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